A Concise Guide to Lower Extremity Differential Diagnosis, Pathologies, and Special Tests

Course Description: With the introduction of direct access, privately-owned PT clinics, and telehealth, physical therapists play an important role in screening and referral of patients to the appropriate medical providers. The focus of this course is to differentiate between exclusive musculoskeletal origin or pain secondary to other systemic causes and to identify any red flags. An in-depth look at lower extremity differential diagnosis is covered to enable therapists to become knowledgeable about referral criteria to the physician, perform special tests, and be updated with the latest clinical practice guidelines of the hip, knee, and ankle-foot joints. This aids in providing effective timely treatment to the patient, identifying red flags, and thus, saving time and resources.